Valve for engines.



PATEN TED MAY 26 J. W. GHENOWETH. VALVE FOR ENGINES. nrmqnlow FILED mm s, 1907.

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PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

x J. W. OHENOWETH.

VALVE FOR ENGINES. 8 APPLICATION rum JUNE 3. 1907.

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Jesse) Clvcwowetla vmmou JESSE W. OHENOWETH, OF OTTERBEIN, INDIANA.

VALVE FOR ENGINES.

Application filed June 3, 1907.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 376,910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn W. OHENowETH, citizen of the United States, residing at Otterbein, in the county of Benton and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a valve for engines and more particularly to a valve which when shifted from one position to another,is adapted to change a compound engine to two high pressure engines, or to change the two high pressure engines to a compound engine as may be desired.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the cylinders of a compound engine having this improved valve applied thereto and illustrating said valve andits casing in section, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said cylinders with the front of said valve casing removed, Fig. 3 is a section through said valve and the rear wall of the valve casing upon line y-y of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the compounding and simplifying valve removed, and, Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the valve at its opposite limit of movement.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts mail of the figures of the drawing.

' Referring to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates the high pressure cylinder of a compound engine, and the numeral 6 designates the low pressure cylinder of said engme.

The high pressure valve chest is indicated by the numeral 7 and the low pressure valve chest by the numeral 8. ,An exhaust pipe 9 leads from the low pressure valve'chest and communicates with said valve chest through a port 10. A valve casing 11 is arranged at one side of the cylinders and a ort 12 connects said valve casing with the ow pressure steam chest 8. A port 13 connects the interior ofthe valve casing 11 with the high pressure steam chest 7. An exhaust port 14 connects the interior of the valve casing 11 with the high pressure steam chest 7, while a port 15 leads to an exhaust pipe 16 which may discharge into the atmosphere or into av condenser, as desired. A valve 17 is secured to a shaft 18, said shaft having 1ts bearlngs in the front wall of the steam chest and in the rear wall thereof, as is best illustrated in Fig. 1. A stuffing box 19 of the usual and well known construction, prevents the escape of steam from the interior of the valve casing 11 around said shaft. admits steam to the interior of the valve casing.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the engine is to be run as a compound engine, a handle 21 secured upon the outer end of the shaft 18 is grasped and said shaft A steam inlet pipe 20 is turned to throw the valve 17 to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, at which time a port 22 formed in the rear face of the valve establishes communication between the ports 12 and 14. The tail portion 23 of the valve at this time lies over and closes the exhaust port 15. With the valve in this position, high pressure steam is supplied from the pipe 20 and valve casing 21 to the high pressure steam chest through the port 13. The exhaust from the high pressure steam chest passes through the port 14, port 22 and port 12 to the low pressure steam chest, and from there the steam is admitted to the low pressure cylinder in the usual manner. The ex haust from the low pressure cylinder at this time passes through the exhaust port 10 and exhaust pipe 9 to the atmosphere or to a condenser as may be desired. When, however, the engines are to be run separately as high pressure engines, the valve 17 is shifted to the position illustrated in Fig. 5, at which time the port 22 establishes communication between ports 14 and 15. This movement of the valve uncovers the port 12. The operation of the engine is then as follows: High pressure steam passes to the high pressure steam chest through the port 13 and is exhausted through the ports 14 and 15 to the high ressure exhaust pipe 16. At the same time liigh pressure steam passes through the port 12 to what was formerly the low pressure steam chest 8 and the exhaust from said steam chest 8 passes through the port 10 and pipe 9 as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that simple and efficient means are herein provided for accomplishing the objects of the invention, but while the elements shown and described are well adapted to serve the purposes for which they are intended, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but

includes within its purview such changes as may be made within the scope of the appended claims. 1

What I claim, is:

In a device of the character described, the combination with the high and low pressure steam chests of a compound engine, of a valve casing having a plane wall, a plurality of ports opening through said Wall, one of said ports leading to the inlet portion of the high pressure steam chest, another of said ports leading to the exhaust portion of the high pressure steam chest, another of said ports communicating with the atmosphere or with a condenser, and another of said ports communicating with the inlet portion of the lower pressure steam chest, a plate-like valve having a plane rear wall adapted to travel over the plane wall of the valve casing, and means for moving said valve from the exterior of its casing, there being a channel formed in the rear face of said valve ada ted when the valve is in one position to esta lish communication between the exhaust port of the high pressure steam chest and the inlet port of the low pressure steam chest and adapted when shifted to its opposite position to uncover the steam inlet port to the low pressure steam chest and to simultaneously therewith connect the exhaust port from the high pressure steam chest to the exhaust port leading to the atmosphere or to the condenser, said valve being adapted when in the first named position to overlie and close the exhaust port which leads to the atmosphere or to the condenser.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JESSE WV. CHEN OWETH. Witnesses:

THOMAS C. WADDELL, LEWIS E. CoLLYER. 

